In order
to help fill the Ohio insurance industry’s projected 29,000 job openings by
2024, the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) will offer a $100 online workplace
readiness course for individuals seeking to enter the field, OII President Dean
Fadel announced with Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday.
Joined
by other Ohio insurance industry leaders in the Statehouse Cabinet Room, Fadel
said most of those job openings will not require a college degree.
“We are
launching an online curriculum that’s intended to help people get their foot in
the door to a good career path in the insurance industry,” Fadel said. “There
are many different paths you can take once you get in -- it’s not just sales,
not just math. People with law enforcement backgrounds are needed for fraud
investigations. We need IT people.”
Similarly,
Kasich said, “Insurance is not what you think … like, ‘I’ve got pencils in my
pocket and I use a calculator.’ It’s more than that. It’s a broad and exciting
industry.” Fadel and Kasich noted that the insurance industry has formed
partnerships with 10 higher education institutions to train students for a job
in the field.
“If kids
can get interested and these schools can bend their curriculum to accommodate
training and skill development, they’re going to get a job,” Kasich said.
“Everybody is uptight -- ‘I’ve got all this debt. I can’t get work. I’m living
in mom’s basement.’ These folks are doing a great job. A lot of other
industries can learn from this.”
Fadel
said OII will offer vouchers for those who can’t afford to spend $100 on the
program. He said they’ll also recruit diverse applicants to take part in the
program, offering vouchers to them as well.
The
program is aimed at people who want to move from their current job or students
seeking their first job.
According
to OII, the program includes an industry career overview, business and
interpersonal skills training, a five-week set of “Insurance Industry Workplace
Essentials” modules, a portfolio assignment and the final “Insurance
Essentials” module.
The
modules, which are 40-minute sessions followed by assignments, include the
following:
-
Conceptualizing a professional development plan for a job search.
-
Preparing an effective resume and cover letter.
-
Interview process.
- How to
evaluate a job offer.
- How to
navigate the first 90 days of a job in the industry.
Then the
trainee will have two weeks to compile their module assignments into a
portfolio.
The
“Insurance Essentials” module includes the following sections:
-
Introduction to Insurance and Risk Management
- The
Role of Insurance
-
Insurer Profitability
-
Insurance Industry Companies and Roles
- The
Typical Insurance Transaction
Those
who complete the program will receive a certificate.